St Mark's School in The 1960s
I too have wonderful memories of going to St Mark's, the teachers I remember are Mr Freemantle, Mrs Carmichael, Miss Holmes, Miss Catherine and Mr Legg. The headmistress at the time was Miss Bowley, who everyone was afraid of but I remember when she left and Mr Weatherley took over. The dinner ladies were lovely, all under the charge of Miss East and yes, the best pudding was butterscotch tart, God, I wish I had the recipe. They also made wonderful gravy, but the stews were yuk with gristly meat!
There was the tiny little library, where I remember being fitted out for my first school uniform, this is also where we had all our medicals, jabs and eye tests done and of course let's not forget Nitty Norah. Mr and Mrs Earwaker (Eriker) lived in the house at the side, by the kitchen, he could be a mean old so and so but they took a shine to me and they bought me a book for Christmas one year. I loved to play netball, and we used to play against other schools and the school to beat at the time was Pelham Road, which I don't think we ever did beat. Mr Freemantle gave me detention one day and said I would have to miss a netball match and kept me in right up till the coach was pulling away and then told me to run and catch it! I also remember the wallop over the hand with the ruler that you got from him and if you ever lent him a pen, you never wanted it back after he had stuck it in his ears!
I must say that I loved it there and had a terrible shock when I went up to Rowan Road High School when I suddenly realised that my childhood had been left behind.
I am looking into the history of The Mitcham May Queen, my daughter was the May Queen in the 1990s, a very proud moment for me, it was a lovely tradition, which I have heard has, sadly, faded away. If anyone has any information, memories of photos, I would love to hear from them my email address is yharris1us@yahoo.com
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RE: RE: St Mark's School in The 1960s
Yvonne - I still have nightmares about 'Miss Bowley' and the dreaded staircase up to her office. I remember the concrete 'trough-like' wash basins we washed in by the cloakroom and the smell of the pink carbolic soap. And the tiny library you mentioned which I had completely forgotten about - that place had a funny smell about it too ! I confess I threw a handful of stink bombs into the staff room on the last day of term and legged it !! . . . happy days ?
Comment from Phil Mann on Wednesday, 1st June 2011.
RE: RE: St Mark's School in The 1960s
I was at St. Marks 1951/1952. I lived in the Pollards Hill area but the schools were full up so we had to get a school coach outside the Horse and Groom pub into Mitcham for school. Miss Bowley was there then. I remember the steep stairs up to her room. I had the job of taking the register up to her each morning. Trouble was she had a little Scottie dog and I was terrified of dogs. She must have liked me because I recall one summer she mailed me a postcard from her holidays and it had a picture of a Scottie dog on it! I also remember the butterscotch tart and the meat gristle. My friend at the time put her gristle in her dinner money envelope so she could take it home and show her mum.
Comment from Margaret Purnell on Friday, 8th July 2011.
RE: RE: St Mark's School in The 1960s
Hi Margaret
My sisters would have been at St Mark's at the same time as you, their names were Florence and Isabel Macdonald, do you remember them?
Comment from Yvonne Harris on Saturday, 9th July 2011.